Harmonica holder



March 9, 1965 E. HAILE HARMONICA HOLDER Filed March 20, 1964 Ernest Hai/e INVENTOR. Mao/742: BY ym PM United States Patent 3,172,328 HARMONICA HOLDER Ernest Haile, 30 Cadwalader Terrace, Trenton, NJ. Filed Mar. 20, 1964, Ser. No. 353,367 4 Claims. (Cl. 84-379) The present invention relates to that class of inventions which have to do with harness-type holders for harmonicas and pertains more particularly to a holder which is characterized by spring-biased mounting and clamping members which are such in construction that they function to accommodatingly grip and hold harmonicas ranging in size from small, large and medium.

Prior art harmonica holders utilize a two-part harness wherein one of the parts is equipped with spring-retained clamping means for releasably holding the harmonica in an accessible playing position directly in front of the mouth of the player.

By way of introduction the state of the art to which the invention relates is disclosed in the Elkington harmonica holder 1,734,799 of November 5, 1929. This patent is being voluntarily cited here because of the fact that the adaptable harness means is structurally and functionally comparable with similarly constructed and performing harness means which will be hereinafter described. Reference to the Elkington prior art patent will confirm the fact that it is old in the art to provide a substantially U-shaped neck embracing yoke wherein the forward ends of the arms or limbs hingedly support an upstanding inverted harmonica positioning and supporting frame.

In the Elkington patent a slidingly mounted spring biased harmonica engaging and clamping bar cooperates with the bight portion of the U-frame thus providing a two-part clamp for the harmonica when the latter is in a playing position. The fact that a part of the clamped harmonica is between the left and right limbs of the U-frame makes impractical the use of quickly applicable and removable harmonicas of varying sizes. It follows that a principal objective in the instant matter is to provide a simple, strong and reliable adaptation and arrangement of holding jaws which are identical in construction but which are so arranged on the inverted U-frame that they function to grippingly hold and support harmonicas in the small and medium size class and, more particularly, long harmonicas which are of a length greater than the distance between the legs or limbs of the U-frame Whereby to serve the user when playing a guitar or an equivalent stringed musical instrument and simultaneously playing a mechanically held harmonica.

In carrying out the present invention two connected U-shaped members are provided. One member comprises a U-shaped neck yoke with a rounded bight portion. The other member comprises an inverted U-shaped harmonica supporting frame wherein the bight portion is straight across from end to end and wherein the identical clamping jaws of the clamping means are slidingly supported on the U-frame to permit feasible and reliable use of harmonicas of varying sizes.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a view in perspective showing the improved harmonica holder and how a large size harmonica is clampingly held in a playing position thereon;

FIGURE 2 is a view in perspective with the harmonica removed; and

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged view in section taken approximately on the plane of the section line 33 of FIGURE 2 with the harmonica clampingly held in position for use in an evident manner.

Referring now to the dual-member harness it Will be noted that the U-shaped neck-embracing yoke is denoted by the numeral 6 and the complemental inverted U-shaped harmonica positioning and supporting frame is denoted at 8. The yoke 6 is fashioned from a length of rod stock bent upon itself into U-form and having a curvate bight portion 10 and opposed coplanar spaced parallel limbs 12 terminating in eyes 14 which are cooperable with similar eyes 16 provided at lower end portions of the depending legs 18 of the U-frame 8. The paired and registering eyes 14 and 16 have assembling and hinging bolts 20 extending therethrough with the threaded end portions equipped with wing nuts 22. The U-frame 8 is of a size and height that when the neck yoke 6 is applied in the manner illustrated in FIG. 1 the bight portion 24 is at the approximate elevation shown. Each leg is provided intermediate its ends with outstanding lugs 26 constituting shoulders for the lowermost coils of the normally tensioned coil spring 28. These coil springs encircle the legs 18 with their lower ends held by the shoulder-forming lugs 26 and their upper ends urged normally toward the straight bight portion 24. The clamping means carried by the U-frame 8 comprises a pair of horizontal upper and lower clamping members 30 and 32 in the manner shown.

The clamping members 30 and 32 are identical in construction and each member comprises an elongated planar plate 34 (FIG. 3) having holes inward of the transverse ends thereof permitting the plate to not only span the space between but extend outwardly beyond the legs 18 and to slide thereon. Each plate is also provided with laterally directed elongated flanges one of which is denoted at 36 and the other one at 38. The upper and lower flanges 38 are oblique angled and toed in toward each other in order to satisfactorily and reliably grip the coacting edge portion of the harmonica A. The flanges 36 and 38 are commensurate in length with each other as well as said plates 34. It follows that the respective transverse ends thereof extend outwardly beyond the respective legs 18. The coplanar flanges 36 constitute abutments and the converging flanges 38 constitute jaws. Accordingly, two correspondingly constructed plates 34 and integral companion jaws and abutments are oriented and coordinate with each other and the bight portion 24 and legs 18 and conformingly and firmly grip the associated portion of the harmonica. The two holding members 30 and 32 function to reliably grip and hold harmonicas of varying sizes in the satisfactorily usable position illustrated in FIG. 1.

The provision of the elongated jaw-equipped springl-oaded harmonica clamping members 30 and 32 on the inverted U-frame 8 constitutes the significant aspect of the herein disclosed concept. While but a single harmonica A is shown in use in FIGS. 1 and 3, it will be cle'ar that the construction, arrangement and assembly of the improved component par-ts assure the user that he can aptly and reliably support conventional harmonicas such as are classified as small, medium and large. For example, the large harmonica shown is of a length greater than the width of the inverted U-shaped frame 8 and the end portions thereof extend beyond the legs 18 corresponding end portions of the jaw-equipped members 30 and 32. If the user wishes to change from one key to another he may change harmonicas with ease by inserting the properly keyed harmonica and pushing the ready-todischarge harmonica out with one operation and lodging a second harmonica between the jaws for retention in a manner comparable to inserting and removing blades employed in present-day injector-type safety razors.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications andchanges will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents-may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed;

What is claimed as new is asfollows:

1. A harmonica holder comprising a first U-shaped member, a second U-shaped member, the terminal ends of limbs and legs respectively of said members being oriented and separably and hingedly joined together, a first plate spanning the space between the legs of the second U-shapedmember and having end portions projecting outwardly beyond and slidingly mounted on said legs and provided aionga rearward longitudinal edge with angularly disposed flanges, one flange providing an abutment and the other flange providing a harmonica gripping jaw, a second plate also spanning the space between said legs andhaving end portions projecting outwardly beyond and slidingly mounted on said legs, said second plate being limited in its sliding movement in one direction bythe associatively cooperable end portions of the bight portion joining said legs, said second plate'being likewise provided along a rearward longitudinal edge with co-' operating angularly disposed flanges, one flange constituting an abutment and the" other flange constituting anelongatedharmonica-gripping jaw, said abutments being disposed in a coplanar relationship and said jaws beingdisposed in spaced-apart parallelism directly aboveand below each' other.-

2. The structure defined in claim 1 and wherein each leg is provided on a median portion thereof with a stop shoulder, and a coil spring surrounding each leg and engaging the-stop shoulder at a lower end and-cooperable at an upper end with an end' portion of the first-named plate.

3. A harmonica holder comprising an inverted U-frame adapted when in=use to assume a generally vertical position and embodying a generally horizontal bight portion provided at the ends thereof with depending coplanar spaced parallel legs, a neck embracing yoke having forwardly extending limbs the terminal ends of which are detachably and adjustably connected tocooperating lower end portions of said legs, median portions of said legs being provided with stop shoulders, a pair of opposed elongated harmonica supporting and clamping members, each clamping member embodying a jaw-equipped plate spanning the space between said legs in a plane below the plane of said bight portion and having apertured end portions projecting. outwardly beyond and slidingly mounted on the respective legs, and a coil spring encircling each leg with a lower end abutting the cooperating stop shoulder, the upper ends of said coil springs abutting the cooperating apertured end portion of the adjacent plate and the coacting surface of the adjacent cooperating ja'w.

4. A harmonica holder comprising an inverted U-frame' adapted when in use to assume a generally vertical position and embodying a generally horizontal bight portion provided at ends thereof with depending coplanar spaced parallel legs, neck y'oke means detachably and adjustably connected to lower end portions of said legs and structurally adapted to embrace the neck of the wearer, median portions of said legs provided with stop shoulders, a pair of opposed elongated harmonica clamping and supporting members, each clamping member comprising a plate horizontally spanning the space between said legs and having apertured end portions projecting outwardly beyond and slidingly mounted on said legs, each plate beingprovided across a rearwardly directed longitudinal edge with a laterally directed generally vertical flange, and said flange in turn being provided with' a second companion angularly rearwardly directed flange, the latter flange being horizo'ntally disposed and constituting a harmonica-gripping jaw, allof said flanges corresponding in length with eachotlier and also inlength with the length of said plates,

and a coil spring encircling eachleg above and cooperating with the adjacent stop shoulder, the upper end ot said spring abutting the adjacent plate and being interposed between the adjacent flange on said plate and said leg.

References- Cited by the- Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 411,374 9/89 Clark 84379 1,535,206 4/25 Davidson 84 379" 1,734,799 11/29 Elkington 84-679 1,912,654 6/33 Peterson 84-379 2,130,707 9/38 Sherman 84379 LEO SMILOW, Primary Examiner. 

1. A HARMONICA HOLDER COMPRISING A FIRST U-SHAPED MEMBER, A SECOND U-SHAPED MEMBER, THE TERMINAL ENDS OF LIMBS AND LEGS RESPECTIVELY OF SAID MEMBERS BEING ORIENTED AND SEPARABLY AND HINGEDLY JOINED TOGETHER, A FIRST PLATE SPANNING THE SPACE BETWEEN THE LEGS OF THE SECOND U-SHAPED MEMBER AND HAVING END PORTIONS PROJECTING OUTWARDLY BEYOND AND SLIDINGLY MOUNTED ON SAID LEGS AND PROVIDED ALONG A REARWARD LONGITUDINAL EDGE WITH ANGULARLY DISPOSED FLANGES, ONE FLANGE PROVIDING AN ABUTMENT AND THE OTHER FLANGE PROVIDING A HARMONICA GRIPPING JAW, A SECOND PLATE ALSO SPANNING THE SPACE BETWEEN SAID LEGS AND HAVING END PORTIONS PROJECTING OUTWARDLY BEYOND AND SLIDINGLY MOUNTED ON SAID LEGS, SAID SECOND PLATE BEING LIMITED IN ITS SLIDING MOVEMENT IN ONE DIRECTION BY THE ASSOCIATIVELY COOPERABLE END PORTIONS OF THE BIGHT PORTION JOINING SAID LEGS, SAID SECOND PLATE BEING LIKEWISE PROVIDED ALONG A REARWARD LONGITUDINAL EDGE WITH COOPERATING ANGULARLY DISPOSED FLANGES, ONE FLANGE CONSTITUTING AN ABUTMENT AND THE OTHER FLANGE CONSTITUTING AN ELONGATED HARMONICA-GRIPPIN JAW, SAID ABUTMENTS BEING DISPOSED IN A COPLANAR RELATIONSHIP AND SAID JAWS BEING DISPOSED IN SPACED-APART PARALLELISM DIRECTLY ABOVE AND BELOW EACH OTHER. 